Start time: 10am
Finish time: 12pm
Meeting location: Near Nethy Bridge; exact location TBC.
Part of the 2026 Scottish International Storytelling Festival‘s Go Local! programme. Join this special Storywalk to explore the ‘unmapped’ placenames of the Cairngorms and the stories behind them.
The walk will focus on placenames used by farmers and crofters, and others who work closely with the land.
The Unmapped Places project is recording these ‘living’ names and stories – over 300 so far – used regularly by people who live and work in the hills, to highlight the many relationships we have with the Cairngorms, especially as the climate and land use shifts. In the wake of the extensive fires earlier this year, these placenames highlight different types of knowledge, as well as landscape change, and the cultural repair work needed.
The Unmapped project is a community archive of living, breathing Cairngorms placenames, which haven’t necessarily been mapped or recorded previously. It visibly shows the variety of current human relationships with the mountains, so they can be more valued – and heard, in landscape decision-making – and helps highlight the importance of guardianship.
The project is funded by the RSE and Fèisean nan Gà idheal, with additional funding from TRACS/Andy Hunter Storytelling Bursary.
The walk is free and suitable for all ages; please book tickets below.Â
The Scottish International Storytelling Festival is organised by TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland). We champion Scotland’s shared traditions of crafts, dance, music, and storytelling: our Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Supported through Scottish Government’s Expanded Festivals Fund, Creative Scotland Multi-Year Funding and City of Edinburgh Council.
     